Oceanside City Council rejects plan to lower building heights

The Oceanside City Council rejected a plan Wednesday to lower maximum building heights along its southern coastline.

After two hours of public testimony and deliberation, the council voted 3-2 against adopting the city planning commission’s recommendation to lower the height from the current maximum of 35 feet to 27 feet.

Oceanside’s coastal building heights fell into flux in 2008, when the California Coastal Commission invalidated the city’s ordinance -- in effect since 1992 -- setting building height at 27 feet because the commission never certified it.

The city’s height and coastal building requirements then reverted back to a 1986 ordinance, which set the height at 35 feet.

Supporters of the 27-foot plan said allowing taller homes along the coast would obstruct other residents’ ocean views, lowering their property values and ruining the city’s character. Opponents of lowering the height said it infringed on their property rights and would negatively impact economic development in the area.

For now, Oceanside will continue to abide by the 1986 ordinance and its 35-foot rule.

Oceanside Mayor Jim Woods and councilwoman Esther Sanchez voted for the amendment to the city zoning ordinance, while members Gary Felien, Jack Feller and Jerry Kern voting against it.